We must act quickly and adopt measures to protect citizens and economies

In a statement to the media ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister announced that the leaders of the European Union would discuss a variety of topics.

Primarily the situation in the Middle East, especially the impact of rising oil prices, which is felt not only on oil derivatives but also on the gas market, and in a later phase all this will have  repercussions on electricity prices.

"We must use our experience from the time of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, when we reacted quickly, put in place a strong European framework and adopted national measures that preserved social cohesion, protected citizens, the economy and numerous institutions," said Prime Minister Plenković.

The government will continue with the measures as long as necessary

In this context, the Prime Minister said that he had already informed his colleagues about the measures that the Croatian government took last Monday regarding the limitation of the increase in the prices of petroleum products, which cushioned the first blow.

That two-week deadline expires on Monday, he added, announcing that the government will then react with measures again and that it is ready to react as long as necessary.

"In doing so, we are guided by two basic principles: ensuring the security of supply of petroleum products and the affordability of prices," he stressed.

Continue the energy transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports

Among other topics to be discussed today, the Prime Minister singled out the competitiveness of the European economy, recalling that an informal meeting of the European Council was held in February dedicated to this very topic.

And here the price of energy sources is the most important, along with dependence on fossil fuel imports. Therefore, the Prime Minister added, this situation with the closed Strait of Hormuz has a practically immediate impact on the functioning of the economy.

We must continue the energy transition to renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, he said.

Croatia can ensure oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia through JANAF

The situation in Ukraine will also be discussed, and in this context, Prime Minister Plenković pointed out that Hungary is now trying to prevent the already made decision on a 90 billion euro loan, on which consensus was reached in December.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Croatia can ensure oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia through JANAF (Adriatic Oil Pipeline), which eliminates the argument about energy insecurity.

He stated that MOL is ordering tankers that are coming to Omišalj, a total of 13 of them, all with non-Russian oil, of which four to five have already been unloaded.

This oil was transported via JANAF to refineries in Százhalombatta and Bratislava, and the total quantity that left was about one and a half million tons in a month, he said.

He added that these data clearly show Croatia's capacities and that Croatia can fully satisfy the supply of both Hungary and Slovakia through JANAF.

"Security of supply is extremely important and through JANAF they will receive all the necessary oil," he said.

He recalled that the purpose of the 2022 sanctions package was to enable a transition period in which countries would reorient to oil of non-Russian origin, and that Croatia is now showing that such a supply model is sustainable.